Awakening
by Nikki Sky
Summary: It's been years since they graduated from high school. What will happen when Kyouya thinks it would be interesting to keep Haruhi's law firm on retainer for the Ootori group? KyouyaxHaruhi
1. Unexpected Information

_He awoke slowly, turning over and grumbling to himself. To his surprise, there was someone else there. "Good morning," she murmured with a smile. Slowly, Kyouya relaxed as it all began to come back to him. He smiled and reached out to caress her cheek, wonderingly, almost in awe at this unusual turn of events, "Good morning, Haruhi."_

_---_

Kyouya Ootori was tired.

Considering the normal workload he handled without any trouble, this was a statement in and of itself. Still, there was little he could do about it. Such were the consequences of taking over as the head of the Ootori group. After demonstrating his abilities throughout the remainder of his high school career as well as all the various things he had accomplished during his time in college and medical school, Yoshio Ootori had decided that his youngest son was the most well-suited and capable of his sons, naming Kyouya his successor. The announcement had shocked the business world. Within a few short years, Kyouya had taken over the reins completely and the Ootori group had never been in better hands.

That was all well and good but there was still the problem of deciding which law firm would be best for the Ootori group to keep on hand in case legal matters should arise. He had recently dismissed the previous group because they were not aggressive enough for his tastes. It was already well past midnight but Kyouya was not comfortable being without legal representation for very long. To that effect, he was finalising his research on the more promising and longstanding law firms in Japan that had branches in Tokyo.

As he was perusing the information that had been gathered, something caught his eye. Scrolling back, Kyouya looked more closely at the list of partners for the Takeda & Furukawa firm. Haruhi Fujioka. Apparently the newest partner, she was an up and comer within the firm and was viewed as being a very promising young talent. He raised an eyebrow, that was interesting. He closed his laptop and went back to flip through the large file his staff had filled with information about the various law firms he had been examining.

Of course, he had lost touch with Haruhi after her and Tamaki had broken up a few years ago. By that time, though, Kyouya had become very involved with learning everything he would need to know when he became the head of the Ootori group and hadn't even had much time for Tamaki, let alone anything else like keeping track of what she was up to. Still, it would be very interesting to see her again. Giving the law firm's information another scan, Kyouya decided that he would employ the Takeda & Furukawa firm and the person he would request to bargain with about their retainer fee would be their youngest and newest partner, Haruhi Fujioka.

* * *

A/N: Okay, needless to say, if you don't like a Kyouya/Haruhi pairing, you really shouldn't be reading this. I should say right off that I know this chapter's pretty short. And if you don't understand the italics, well, let's just say they're sort of a preview of what will be when this fic completes. 

This is my first fic so I would really appreciate constructive criticism. Why do you like or dislike this so much? What can I do to make it better? Let me be clear here. I am not asking for plot suggestions, I'm asking more about formatting and the like.

Anyway, I look forward to hearing from people (hopefully). See you soon.

Ouran is not my creation, nor are Kyouya and Haruhi. They are all copyright Bisco Hatori.


	2. Surprised?

_Draping an arm over Haruhi and pulling her close, Kyouya closed his eyes again, a smile still playing on his lips. Haruhi leaned into his embrace, "So what now, Kyouya-senpai?" His dark eyes opened suddenly at the title. Gazing at the young woman beside him, he saw the mischievous grin playing on her lips and he simply shook his head at her, choosing to ignore the goad. "Now we become the power couple of the business world." Haruhi couldn't help but giggle at that though she knew he was being perfectly serious._

_---_

Kyouya looked out the window, his gaze occasionally drifting to the various reflections in the window itself. He hoped that seeing him after so long would not negatively impact her ability to represent her law firm to the fullest extent of her abilities.

He had contacted Takeda & Furukawa yesterday morning and had informed them that the Ootori group would be employing their services for all future legal matters. Of course, he had set down the condition that his main contact be Haruhi Fujioka and that she not be informed of who exactly she was to be meeting today or for what purpose beyond the fact that it was a new client. Considering the sheer size of the Ootori group and the prospect of landing such a huge fish, the people at the law firm had been more than willing to comply to the unusual request, assuring him that Ms. Fujioka would not disregard instructions from the firm, no matter how vague they were. He failed to see how she could possibly become overly upset. Besides, this added prestige to Haruhi's position in her company and, regardless of if she responded with happiness or anger upon discovering she would be the sole manager of the Ootori account, it would be an interesting experience for Kyouya. That was ultimately the only thing he was concerned about at this point.

Observing the approach of the waiter with a young woman following close behind, Kyouya turned back towards the interior of the restaurant with a shrewd smile. The shock and surprise on her face was clear enough although she quickly regained control of herself. He inclined his head to the long-haired brunette in a dark blue business suit, a cool smile hovering around his lips as he formally shook her hand. "Well hello Fujioka-san, it has been a long time, has it not?" Waiting until she was seated before taking his own seat, Kyouya accepted a menu from the waiter and calmly nodded his thanks to the man before turning his regard back to Haruhi.

Struggling with the unexpected circumstances that had arisen, Haruhi finally managed to get out a few words. Her tone was indignant and reproachful, reminiscent of how she used to protest her treatment at the hands of one of the Hosts or another. "Kyouya-senpai, what is this all about? Why did you arrange this meeting?" The man across from her only raised his eyebrows, leaning forward and resting his head on one of his hands. "Why, Fujioka-san? Well, I suppose your superiors decided to play it safe and not give you any information whatsoever." His smile sent a chill down her spine; it was like a cat toying with its food before swooping in for the kill.

Interrupted by the reappearance of their waiter, Kyouya looked up and ordered. He took the time to look at Haruhi more thoroughly as she placed her order as well. She had let her hair grow out. The idea of it made him smile. For all that she had gone on about the convenience of short hair, she had still decided to leave it long. It seemed she had grown to become a lovely woman, indeed. Still, she maintained most of the aspects of herself that made it so easy to mistake her for a boy so many years ago. If it weren't for the long hair, it might have been difficult to distinguish. Pushing up his glasses, Kyouya leaned forward in his chair when the waiter had left again, an amused glint in his eye, "Congratulations on becoming partner, by the way." Kyouya gestured dismissively with his hand a little as though to clear away all other matters that were not relevant to her previous question. "Anyway, we are meeting because I have decided to hire Takeda & Furukawa as the new legal representation for the Ootori group."

Of course she had heard of it. It had been the buzz of the entire legal world, it seemed, with inordinate amounts of speculation on who would be selected and which firms were in the running at all. Haruhi had honestly not given much thought to the matter, though. Kyouya Ootori, and Tamaki Suoh for that matter, were things of the past. She still occasionally spoke with Hikaru and Kaoru and every once in awhile, Honey-senpai would call her and they would chat. But all of them knew better than to bring up the topic of Tamaki. As for Kyouya, well, the others said they spoke with him occasionally but after her breakup with Tamaki, she had been reluctant to try to contact him. After all, Tamaki was his best friend. That made things awkward. Yet here they were.

Haruhi gazed seriously at the man across from her. He paused as his dark eyes met her lighter brown ones. Had her eyes always been so entrancing? Kyouya suddenly couldn't remember, a startling thing to discover. Still, he had been so preoccupied in high school with the Club and making sure everything ran with no trouble, smoothing over any and all issues which arose that there had been little time to pay attention to much else, including whatever feelings he might have had towards anyone. Pushing up his glasses, he reassembled his thoughts and tried again. "As per my request, they sent you here to, ah, discuss the retainer fee with me."

If she knew Kyouya at all, there would be little discussing and a great deal of demanding and manipulation on his part to get exactly what he wanted. Perhaps he had sought to take advantage of the fact they had been friends of sorts in high school, expecting her to take it easy simply because they were old friends. Her brow furrowed slightly. Well that was definitely not going to happen. Haruhi leaned forward herself, regarding him with as shrewd a gaze as he had ever turned on her in their Host Club days. "I will be as voracious with you as with any other customer." She raised a slightly admonishing finger, "You may conduct business matters in certain ways but I will not be party to such things. You will be treated no differently," she said warningly.

Much to her surprise, the man simply continued to gaze at her, a smile of amusement hovering over his lips. Actually, what Kyouya really wanted to do was burst into laughter from delight that his largest concern about cementing the deal with Haruhi was set aside. However, it was hardly seemly in a restaurant of this calibre and so, he was smiling. He was very pleased, indeed, that he would be discussing this matter with Haruhi Fujioka, newest partner of the prestigious Takeda & Furukawa, not Haruhi, his friend from high school. He had always known she was intelligent, how could you not be when you entered Ouran High School on a scholarship, and matching wits with her on completely level ground would be quite interesting. "I would not have expected less from you, Fujioka-san."

"Oh." Haruhi relaxed into her chair again, mildly confused. If that wasn't it, then why had he brought her here? There was only one way to find out. "So how much did you have in mind for the fee? Normally, Takeda & Furuka-" Kyouya made a small irritated gesture with his hand although his voice was smooth, "Please, let us save business matters until after dinner." She flushed slightly but nodded her head, "Of course." It seemed there were still things she had to learn about what was and was not appropriate in his world. Tucking some of her hair behind an ear, she looked at him expectantly. She had no idea what they could discuss. If it were Hikaru or Kaoru, more often than not, they would be teasing her about something or other. Had it been Honey, they would be discussing whatever he or Mori had done recently. But with Kyouya, she reallyhad no idea what to say.

With no small amount of relief, she saw the waiter approaching with their food. At least there was something to distract them now. Kyouya nodded his thanks to the man. He glanced at Haruhi but could not determine what she was thinking behind that inscrutable expression. Oh well, there were a number of safe topics that he could use for now. "How has Ranka-san been?" he asked as he began to eat. Haruhi smiled, "Father's doing very well. He retired a few years ago and moved to Karuizawa to co-run Misuzu-san's pension." Taking a bite of the dish before her, she couldn't help but close her eyes for a moment, an expression of utter bliss on her face.

He smiled, watching her enjoy the high-class food before her. Some things just didn't change. Carefully cutting the food on his plate, he took another small bite, "That's good to hear." Opening her eyes again, she looked at Kyouya eating his food so delicately. She laughed lightly, suddenly remembering their day at the mall, "Does this mean that being dignified and proper in front of me is of benefit to you now, Kyouya-senpai?" He looked up, eyebrows raised in surprise at the statement and then smiled, remembering as well. "Yes, I suppose it does, Haruhi."

Haruhi lowered her eyes to the food in front of her, smiling. That was the first time this evening that he had called her by her first name. For some reason, it made her happy that he hadn't addressed her as 'Fujioka-san' again. "How about you, Kyouya-senpai?" She paused, avoiding the obvious topic, "Is being the head of the Ootori group everything you had imagined?" Kyouya paused and rested his head on one of his hands, his gaze seeming to focus more sharply on her, "There have been some surprises," he said, his tone musing.

Business could always wait. For now, the pleasure of each other's company was enough.

* * *

Thanks to all of you guys for the encouraging reviews. Weekends are beautiful things for writing XD

As always, constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated. I know their conversation is awkward because, well, they haven't seen each other or spoken for years.

I do not own Ouran or Kyouya/Haruhi/any of the other Hosts. They are all (c) Bisco Hatori.

edit: Small edit. I don't think anyone noticed the mistake other than my one friend but it's important enough that I want to change it.


	3. Udon for Lunch

_Kyouya raised himself up on one arm and smiled down at Haruhi. It was still unbelievable to him how things had turned out. He ran a musing finger over her collarbone. Certainly, he would not have thought it ever possible that he would awake one morning to find that the woman beside him, and the woman he was in love with, would be Haruhi Fujioka._

_---_

"May I ask who's calling?"

Leaning back in his chair, Kyouya said smoothly, "An old friend." The woman on the phone was cordial enough. He couldn't remember her name and knew that it really wasn't important he remember it anyway. It was not as though she would be around for very long. The guy seemed to go through secretaries at an inordinate rate. He really should just hire a male secretary and get it over with.

"This is Tamaki Suoh."

Kyouya smiled coolly. You would never know that the owner of such a composed and authoritative-sounding voice had been about as nonsensical and unpragmatic as they came back in high school. Well, that didn't just apply to high school. "Tamaki, how ha-" he began. He was interrupted by the enthusiastic outburst on the other end of the phone.

"Kyouya! Kyouya, where have you been?" The voice on the line sounded injured even as it continued to ramble. "You never call me anymore! I've missed you so much! Where have you been? What have you been up to? How could you ignore even your best friend in the whole world? Oh, how cruel, but such is the fate of someone with beauty such as mine. But have no fear! I will not allow such persecution to bring me down!" Already, Kyouya was tuning out the stream of sentences that were not directly relevant to anything they would probably be discussing during the phone call.

"Ah, I've been busy with trying to find a new law firm. And a week is hardly an eternity, Tamaki," Kyouya said dryly. He continued speaking before his friend could get going again, "That's what I called to speak to you about. I hired Takeda & Furukawa." Judging by the silence on the other end, which normally would have been a continuation of wherever Tamaki had left off before, he knew that his friend had actually heard him. It appeared that even if Kyouya had not bothered, Tamaki had kept tabs on what was going on with Haruhi.

After another few seconds, Tamaki laughed lightly, clearly trying to cover up the previous awkward silence, "I see I see, naturally they were the best firm for the job, yes?" His tone was more subdued as he continued, "How is Haruhi?" Kyouya couldn't help but feel sorry for Tamaki.

He had not brought up the topic of Tamaki with Haruhi over dinner. They had kept to other small pleasantries including talking about the Hitachiin twins and Honey and Mori, and it sounded like that had been a wise decision on his part. The news of their breakup had honestly surprised him. Kyouya had always believed that if and when Tamaki finally got together with Haruhi, that Tamaki would do everything in his power to make it work out.

Obviously it hadn't. Careful to keep his tone light, Kyouya said, "She's doing well. I'll be dealing with her a lot now. I thought that I should tell you so you didn't get any foolish ideas." He hesitated and then continued, "Perhaps we could have lunch sometime. There are things to catch up on." After all, he had never delved into what had happened between the two of them and it might be relevant to matters with Haruhi in the future. The Ootori group regularly worked together and conferred with the Suoh group on a large number of things.

"Ah! Lunch together with you? Really?" Already Tamaki had made the shift back to his usual state of ecstasy when he spoke to anyone from the Host Club, "Let's go to that new udon place! Have you heard about it? My secretary told me it was really delicious! We should definitely go try it, Kyouya." Kyouya sighed at the idea of eating udon at a place Tamaki's secretary frequented but he was short on ideas of where to go that would pass muster with his friend. Flipping through the schedule in his notebook, he said, "Is next Monday alright?"

He had to hold the phone away from his ear slightly as Tamaki exclaimed, "Monday! Yahoo! I'm having lunch with Kyouya on Monday!" Kyouya quickly hung up the phone.

Some things really never did change.

* * *

A/N: This chapter was painful, for me. Like really painful. I was going crazy trying to write Tamaki properly . . And yet, the fic decided that they had to have lunch together at some later time. My fic (and my brain) are out to kill me, I just know it.

Btw, the reason that Tamaki's constantly changing secretaries is that they all give into his every whim and don't stand up to him at all. He really needs a firm hand to help him along and keep him somewhat grounded and none of them seem to be able to do that. At least that's the reasoning in my mind behind why he can't seem to keep one.

On another note, while I have a number of beta readers (all of whom I love and adore so much because they keep me sane and on the right track), I could do with one or two more. My only requirement is that you've seen the Ouran anime in its entirety. I'd prefer if you had read a few volumes of the manga, too, but that's not as important. Anyway, drop me a message if you're interested.


	4. A Fine Line

_Haruhi smiled at the regard, calmly gazing at him. "Is this the Low Blood Pressure Demon Lord then?" she asked lightly, head tilted slightly in curiousity. "It doesn't seem that bad," she added, lifting a hand and caressing his face gently. Kyouya laughed. Of course he was perfectly aware of his usual state when he awoke in the mornings but that was only when it was early and he had not had enough sleep. He leaned in with a smile, "Must be who I'm waking next to," he murmured._

---

What had he been thinking? How could he have been so careless? Was it deliberate? Did Kyouya have any idea what might be at stake with something as foolish as this? And how could he have seen fit not to mention any of it to her at all? Angrily, Haruhi banged the doors to his office open. It was late but she had no doubt that he was still working. Due to the late hour, there had been very few people to intercept her in her furious storming onto the floor and down the hall and she had ignored those who had tried.

Kyouya looked up and regarded Haruhi mildly. Her appearance was hardly unexpected. He had just received a call from the security guard at the front desk notifying him that Fujioka-san had barged in and asking if he would like for them to stop her from interrupting him at this hour. After assuring them that everything was fine, he had gone back to the business matters he had been attending to.

"Just what is the meaning of this, Kyouya-san?" she said angrily, flinging a sheaf of papers on his desk. Among the topics covered during their dinner last week, she had consented to calling him Kyouya-san if he would address her as Haruhi-san. It simply didn't make sense to do otherwise considering the nature of their business relationship. He picked up a handful of the papers and quickly looked them over before turning his gaze to Haruhi, his tone smooth and calm. "Meaning?"

His complete lack of reaction only served to incense her further. Could he not see the problems he was creating for her and possibly the Ootori group as a whole? Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself. Being upset would certainly not help when dealing with someone like Kyouya. "The articles of incorporation you submitted are incomplete," she said, her voice now lowered to a more reasonable tone, "There is no mention of compensation to Suoh-san or you though it is clear that you both will receive it as the incorporators. In addition, there are a significant number of non-cash assets which are supposed to serve as capital for the new company but they are not shown or recorded anywhere within the articles." As she spoke, Haruhi relaxed slightly, taking comfort in the firm truth of the law that she was so well-versed in.

He had continued to look through the paperwork she had thrown at him, skimming the information but listening as she elaborated. "Tamaki," he said simply. "Eh?" Haruhi was pulled up short in her thoughts of what else would be necessary for the articles. Kyouya regarded her, his eyebrows raised, "Surely things did not end so badly between you two that you feel the need to refer to Tamaki as 'Suoh-san'." Stiffening, she replied coolly, "You said yourself that business and personal relationships are meant to be kept separate, Kyouya-san. I am not the type of person to overlook such things when I am aware of them, contrary to what you or Tamaki might think." Kyouya merely smiled. Had she ever wanted to hit someone so much?

"I apologise, Haruhi-san. I did not mean to imply you lacked manners," he said smoothly, shrewd gaze fixed on her. Turning back to the papers on his desk, Kyouya continued, "As for the articles of incorporation, I had been told by your predecessor that there was no need to include any of that information."

A flicker of irritation crossed Haruhi's face. The firm that the Ootori group had previously employed, while prestigious, was not exactly known for always dealing above board on all matters. Then again, that was probably why Kyouya had selected them. Still, that was not how she chose to operate and that was certainly not how Takeda & Furukawa operated. "They were wrong," she said flatly. "Kyouya-san, this company you and Suoh-san are starting is very different from a _zaibatsu_. Somewhat questionable dealings and routes may be acceptable for the Ootori group at times but they absolutely will not be tolerated by the government when it comes to a normal corporation." Or by me, she added silently.

He looked at Haruhi gaugingly. Haruhi's past reflections on the possibility of Kyouya being psychic were suddenly renewed. Finally, Kyouya nodded, gathering the scattered sheets and handing them back to her. "Please amend the articles to include that information, then. They haven't been submitted to the Legal Affairs Bureau yet so there shouldn't be any problems."

Isn't that the sort of thing you should have mentioned at the beginning? Haruhi silently thought as she took the papers from him. If she had known that the articles had not been turned in yet, she would not have stormed into his office like she did. "Hai, Kyouya-san," she said simply, turning to leave.

"Would you like to have a drink with me, Haruhi?" Kyouya asked casually to Haruhi's slender retreating form.

She looked at him over her shoulder before turning to face him completely, her expression mildly confused. Still, she nodded her head, tentatively albeit, "Mn." Kyouya smiled, it extended all the way to his eyes this time, Haruhi couldn't help but note, and rose to his feet. Somewhat to her surprise, he only moved to a corner of his office, opening what had appeared to be a wall panel and revealing a small minibar.

Picking up two glasses, he filled both partway with what appeared to be red wine. Kyouya walked over and handed one to her. She watched him swirl the contents of his glass and take a sip before she lifted hers to her lips to take a sip as well. It was rare for Haruhi to consume alcohol of any kind but she found the wine somewhat agreeable, the taste of alcohol subtly concealed by the richer, fruitier nuances of the wine. Resuming his seat, Kyouya gestured slightly to one of the chairs in front of his desk.

Nervously, she sat down, wondering what had prompted such an abrupt change in his demeanour. Haruhi was reminded of their dinner just last week. The conversation over their food had been pleasant enough and they had mostly kept to safe topics, discussing what had been going on with the other Hosts, chatting lightly about her experiences at law school. He had deflected or dodged most questions about his own experiences but Haruhi had been able to discern that he had worked even harder both in college and in medical school than he had in high school while also quietly maintaining other projects on the side to demonstrate his abilities. The idea that Kyouya could work even harder than she had seen him do at Ouran, and continue to excel at everything he set his hand to, was amazing to her.

"Are you adjusting well to everything, Haruhi?" Kyouya asked, leaning forward and looking at her. She laughed lightly, taking another sip from the glass, "There isn't much to adjust to," she shrugged, "Your company is simply one of several that I have to handle." Her tone was matter-of-fact but in her mind, she was still trying to figure out the sudden transition he had made between their business relationship and their personal friendship. It was clear enough that he regarded her as more than just the lawyer for his company but the ease with which he switched between one and the other was something she had difficulty adjusting to.

"Kyouya-san, you've changed," Haruhi said musingly. In the process of lifting his glass to his lips, Kyouya paused and raised his eyebrows at her in silent question. She smiled slightly, "You have always been the cool type but that used to be all." Taking another sip of the wine, as though to help brace herself, she said, "Now you have two sides. Your business self and your other self. I wonder," she said softly, almost to herself, "when you learned to separate them."

Kyouya smiled, surprised that she had noticed such things about him. Of course he had needed to learn to differentiate those two parts of himself. Being in a position of prominence as he was now, moreso than he had been even in high school, if he had not been able to do so, he would not have survived. But neither the difference, nor the necessity to tell the difference, had ever been so distinct or obvious to him until she had sat down across from him last week over dinner. He regarded Haruhi, his expression softening, "Just recently," he murmured.

* * *

A/N: Oooookay, I know it's been forever since I last updated and my apologies for that. Real life caught up with me in a horrible way so I didn't have the time/energy to work on this or give it its proper due.

Anyway, I don't have much to say about this chapter. It was interesting to write and I had to do a small amount of research for bits of it (because I'm a stickler for that kind of stuff (in case you're wondering, the company type he'll be starting with Tamaki is called a _kabushiki kaisha_)).

Constructive criticism and reviews are always welcomed and adored.

As always, Kyouya, Haruhi, and the Ouran gang in general are (c) Bisco Hatori.


	5. An Important Question

_Haruhi returned the smile and all Kyouya could manage to do was lean forward to press a soft kiss against her forehead. It amazed him how far they had come. If anyone had suggested a year ago that something like this would ever happen, he would have dismissed it without a second thought. The woman beside him shifted so she could look more directly at him. "It's so rare for you to be without your glasses," she said with a grin. She leaned closer, running a finger down the bridge of his nose, "I kind of like it."_

_Raising his head and resting it on his arm, he regarded her calmly, letting her take in the sight further. " 'For a girl that you personally love, you can only approach her as a man,' wasn't it?" he responded, warmth clear in his dark eyes._

_Haruhi just laughed._

---

Looking briefly around the crowded restaurant, Kyouya took in the many other people enjoying their lunches and conversations. Despite the large number of customers, the interior seemed to be kept fairly clean and the smell of soy sauce was strong in the air. He had definitely been to worse before with Tamaki.

"Over here, Kyouya! Let's sit over here!"

His gaze fell on a medium-sized table in a corner of the room. Well, at least they would be accorded some semblance of privacy. Their entrance had already drawn a bit of attention. After all, their business suits and general carriage indicated that they were far more than just average working men and he could feel the eyes of many women, and a few men, on them. Kyouya sat down at one of the tables and glanced at one of the menus Tamaki had already acquired.

"Isn't this great, Kyouya? Look at all the people! Ah, the atmosphere in this place is wonderful!" Enthusiastically giving the menu a cursory glance, Tamaki quickly waved down a waitress with little concern as to whether or not Kyouya might be ready to order as well. Fortunately, he was. They both placed their orders ("Ah! _Sutamina_ udon sounds perfect! It gives you lots of energy, you know!" "_Kare_ udon will be fine, thank you.") and then began to discuss other matters. Or rather, Tamaki talked and Kyouya at least appeared to pay attention.

"...So I told Osaki-san that it would be simply wonderful to take his daughter to the banquet. Naturally, the lovely girl was beside herself at the prospect. But I assured her there was nothing to be concerned about; I would treat her magnificently as befitting a _hime_. Kyouya, who do you plan on bringing to the banquet? Michiko-san again?"

The natural thing would be to simply make arrangements and bring Michiko Matsudaira, an old family friend. Their relationship was uncomplicated and it would certainly be easiest. Both of them had long ago come to the conclusion that they could boost each other up within their respective worlds, even if there was no real affection between the two of them outside of convenient friendship. Still, he had been entertaining a different idea of late.

Kyouya pushed up his glasses and leaned forward slightly, regarding his friend carefully. "I believe I will be bringing Haruhi," he said simply. Tamaki's expression became serious, "Haruhi at the banquet?" He nodded his blonde head, seeming to come to a sort of understanding of his friend's decision, "As the lawyer who will be handling most of the issues related to our new company, it would be best that she be better acquainted with all of our contacts and associates, ne? That's a good idea, Kyouya." He tried to inject cheer into his words, "The Host Club will be reunited! How wonderful!"

However, Kyouya knew his friend better than that. As their food arrived, he looked at Tamaki and considered the wisdom behind asking the question he had in mind. It was hardly in his nature to be entirely forthright, especially with a delicate matter such as this. However, it appeared as though Tamaki would certainly not volunteer such information on his own and, Kyouya told himself, it was important that he find out, if only for the sake of the company. Any and all interactions might be affected by it, after all.

"Tamaki, what happened between you and Haruhi?" he asked quietly.

There was no way to laugh something like this off or pretend. But Tamaki was perfectly capable of being serious when the occasion necessitated and this was one such. "Haruhi's dreamt of becoming a lawyer since she was small. Just like her mother," a soft smile at that, "It was one of the things I admired the most about her." For a moment, his violet gaze flicked up to meet his friend's before continuing to examine everything else around them and in front of him. It was one of the few times in Kyouya's experience where his friend felt the need to not make eye contact. That action itself spoke volumes about the nature of their separation and, quite possibly, the feelings that still surrounded it.

"I didn't realise how important it really was to her, though." The blonde's laugh held a tinge of bitterness, something Kyouya had also never experienced before. For the entirety of their friendship, Tamaki had always been a very positive person, lacking the cynicism and pessimism that would have come so easily to someone in his situation. It made him an idiot but it also made him incredibly admirable. "When she joined Takeda & Furukawa, Haruhi hit the ground running. We hardly ever had any time together and when we did, she was either exhausted or preoccupied with more things at work."

Kyouya nodded. He could see where this was headed. Knowing Tamaki, the poor man had probably only made things worse while innocently trying to make it better or more tolerable. "I thought it was only her work that was keeping her away from me so if I could overcome that, things would get better." He paused, shaking his head very slightly. It would have gone unnoticed had Kyouya not been gazing intently at his friend. "I went to her office; I just wanted to be with her. But I made things worse," he sounded more puzzled than regretful. "We fought about it a few times. So I waited for her at home instead." It did not take a large leap of the imagination to picture the chaos that Tamaki probably wrought at the busy offices of Takeda & Furukawa. More surprising to Kyouya was the fact that his friend was expressing true regret and uncertainty over what had always been inherently part of who he was.

The blonde continued, tone musing, "But she came back later and later." The loneliness that must have accompanied that time hung unspoken over his words. He effected a carefree smile, "After awhile, I decided it was time to just go out with other people and have fun since Haruhi was so busy anyway." Still, Tamaki's expression quickly became pained at the admission and he shrugged.

Kyouya remembered that period of time. There were a couple weeks when he had received phone calls, usually in the early evening, suggesting they go out somewhere and have some fun. However, that was when the Ootori group had been on the cusp of a new direction, specifically, announcing a new successor. Had he known that was the real reason behind the calls, he might have made more of an effort to go out with his friend. As it stood, they had only gone out to dinner once during that time.

"I guess Haruhi got tired of coming home to an empty house. We fought often." Kyouya had little doubt these were not small squabbles Tamaki was talking about. They had always had those; it was a part of who they were. "Finally, we decided we should just take a break." His expression, although no longer hurt, still indicated the depth of emotion surrounding what he was revealing to his best friend. "And it just turned into a breakup."

There was simply nothing that could be said in response to that. False words of comfort would be exactly that. Tamaki knew his best friend well enough that he would recognise that immediately. He also would know that Kyouya felt sorry about all of it and was concerned for him. Really, there wasn't anything else he could do about it at the moment aside from sitting and offering silent support while the blonde took some time to gather his thoughts and feelings again.

It was clear that this was simply Tamaki's side of the story. There was no doubt in Kyouya's mind that there was more to this than just what his friend had told him. He considered everything that he had just been told, running over the facts in his mind and scrutinising the options available to him. It was unavoidable. This was something he would need to speak to Haruhi about and soon.

Still, it was difficult to believe how events had escalated into a breakup between Tamaki and Haruhi. Well, no. On the one hand, it was difficult to believe but on the other, it was all too easy to believe. Whether Kyouya liked it or not, his friend was who he was and there was little that could be done to change it without drastically altering the man himself. Or giving him a lobotomy.

Either way, it was in the past and his hunch had been correct. This would definitely affect their interactions and, quite possibly, the company itself. The unexpected insight into Haruhi's character was a pleasant surprise. In that respect, at least, this had been a good idea.

* * *

_Sutamina _udon: "Stamina udon." Udon with various hearty ingredients, usually including meat, a raw egg, and vegetables. (Source: Wikipedia entry on udon.)  
_Kare _udon: "Curry udon." Udon in a soup made of Japanese curry. May also include meat or vegetables. (Source: Wikipedia entry on udon.)  
_Hime_: Princess 

A/N: As is often the case when I'm writing for Tamaki, this chapter was very hard for me to write. He's an exceptionally difficult character to pin down exactly because he's so complex and dynamic. Not to say that the others aren't but in most cases, they're easier to understand and, therefore, to write for. Tamaki is, as one reviewer put it, almost schizophrenic at times and that makes it much harder. It also doesn't help that all of these people are supposed to have grown up / matured which adds a whole other facet to it.

Anyway, enough with the whining. After a very long hiatus, here is the new chapter and just in time to meet my promised deadline. Work, quite unfortunately, really does swamp me and take over my life and I didn't have any time whatsoever for this until my Christmas leave started. Hopefully I can work out some happier balance so that I can continue my work on this fic when I get back to work.

I quite liked how this chapter turned out, in the end. I was very unsure of a plausible way for Tamaki and Haruhi to have broken up, mostly because they're both very complicated in their own ways and to have something believable while also staying in character seemed to be almost an impossibility. However, I believe I have come up with something that is, in its own way, quite possible. Do keep in mind that this is only Tamaki's side of the story right now so try not to jump to conclusions about all of it just yet.

Thank you to everyone for your continued support. You have no idea how much it means to me to have something I decided to do on a whim transform into something of this magnitude (this fic, as it turns out, will end up being a lot longer than I'd originally anticipated).

And yes, I did delete my author's note regarding my coming alive again. Feel free to leave me more reviews and such. As always, I'd love some critiques that really tell me why you love what you love or don't like what you don't like.

Kyouya, Haruhi, and Tamaki are, as always, (c) Bisco Hatori.


End file.
